Players eager to start regular season

DALLAS – Wade Phillips entertained reporters last week with a story about a day early in his pro coaching career he and other assistants spent trying to track down fun-loving quarterback Ken Stabler.

“He didn’t show up for practice, was gone the whole day,” Phillips said. “When we finally found him, we said, ‘Ken, where were you?’ He said, ‘It’s Labor Day.’ ”

With their sights set on becoming the first host team to play in the Super Bowl, the Cowboys likely won’t have any problems with absenteeism when they reconvene at Valley Ranch today to begin serious preparations for the Sept. 12 opener at Washington.

Some players could even arrive early for practice.

“We’re all anxious,” Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten said last week after the preseason finale.

After a sloppy preseason, the Cowboys have plenty of work to do. The first-team offense struggled mightily and the defense was also sketchy at times.

But the primary focus will be on fixing a first unit that scored just 13 points on 12 possessions in the preseason.

“Offensively speaking, basic execution,” Witten said when asked what the Cowboys must do to get ready for Washington. “There were too many lost opportunities, too many sacks, minus runs, too many times where we put ourselves in bad downs and distance.

“Just plain old execution. There’s nothing fancy about it, that’s just what we need to do.”